Charlton Acorns Pre- School

Charlton Acorns Pre- School Charlton Village Road, Charlton, Wantage, Oxfordshire, OX12 7HG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22 January 2018 31 January 2017

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 Children thoroughly enjoy their time in the pre-school. They settle well on arrival, demonstrate positive behaviour and build good relationships with staff and each other.  Children have good opportunities to explore, investigate and follow their own interests.  Staff support children's learning effectively for most of the time. They provide a stimulating play environment, indoors and outdoors, that reflects children's capabilities and interests.  Key persons know their children very well. They use their observation and assessment procedures successfully, to identify children's next steps in learning and help them make good progress in preparation for school.  Leaders and managers monitor and support the very well-qualified staff team effectively to reflect on its practice, and improve the quality of teaching.  Leaders, managers and staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they have concerns about children's welfare.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Occasionally, staff lose focus on maintaining high levels of challenge for children, to capture and maximise fully their readiness to learn.  At times, staff overlook opportunities to extend children's mathematical knowledge further during creative and imaginative play activities.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 challenge children more consistently to maintain the highest levels of good-quality learning throughout the day  extend opportunities for children to use and develop their knowledge of numbers, shape, space and measurement as they enjoy exploring, investigating and pretending.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities indoors and outdoors.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records, evidence of staff suitability and training, the pre-school's self-evaluation form and written comments from parents.  The inspector talked to the manager, staff, key persons, chairperson, parents and children at appropriate points during the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff team have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to support families, and to work with local agencies to help keep children safe and well. Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have made good use of external support to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning to make improvements. For example, they now support key persons to make better use of their assessments to identify and address any gaps in children's progress. The staff team works closely with parents to keep them well informed about their children's development and to encourage them to support learning at home.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Key persons support children effectively from the start of their placements. They help children to settle, find out about their interests, build on their strengths and provide support where it is needed. Staff teach children a good range of skills successfully overall. For example, they help children to become confident storytellers as they enjoy using a storyboard to make up their own characters and plot lines. Staff often interact effectively with children as they narrate their play, ask questions to encourage their thinking and introduce a wide range of vocabulary. They demonstrate how to use equipment and follow instructions, such as a recipe, to support children to understand mathematical concepts and that print carries meaning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff support children effectively to become independent, kind and sociable. For example, they provide regular opportunities for children to work in groups to develop life skills and an understanding of safety, as they enjoy building campfires and climbing trees. Staff support children well to learn about good hygiene routines and they teach them the skills they need to dress themselves. Staff encourage parents to share their different cultural backgrounds to help children learn about similarities and differences. They work closely with local schools to help children make smooth transfers into Reception classes.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children have a good start in life in this friendly and welcoming pre-school, including those with low starting points in learning, vulnerable and disadvantaged children. They develop a keen readiness to learn and quickly become familiar with routines and expectations for behaviour. Children become engrossed in activities and have the freedom to experiment and explore. For example, as they play with a toy tea set, they take apart real flowers and vegetables with great concentration as they pretend to cook. This allows them to develop a wide range of skills as they observe plants closely, develop muscle control as they empty and fill, and talk about their experiences with confidence.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 133720 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 1084213 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 52 Name of registered person Charlton Acorns Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 31 January 2017 Telephone number 01235 224 088

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reference number

Charlton Acorns Pre-School registered in 1993. It is run by a parent-management committee. The pre-school operates from its own building within the grounds of Charlton Primary School, on the outskirts of Wantage, Oxfordshire. It is open on weekdays during school term times, from 9am to 3pm. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. It employs nine staff, eight of whom hold relevant qualifications, including staff who have attained qualifications at levels 2, 3, 5 and 6. The manager holds early years professional status.

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reference number

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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reference number

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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